


Dig Deep

by dakeyras



Category: Naruto
Genre: 19th Century, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Western, Blood and Violence, Cowboys & Cowgirls, Gold Miner, Guns, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Naruto Is A Literal Gold Digger, Orochimaru Being an Asshole (Naruto), Sasuke is a Gunslinger, late 19th century
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25594339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dakeyras/pseuds/dakeyras
Summary: Naruto's waist-deep in a hole in the dirt when his life changes forever. Can the last Uchiha get him and his gold to safety? Probably not, but Sasuke will do his damnedest anyway.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32
Collections: Alternate Universe Exchange 2020





	Dig Deep

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WaffleDogOfficial](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaffleDogOfficial/gifts).



The sun is blood-red as it touches the dusty horizon.

Another shovelful of earth lands on the pile, and another. Naruto's shoulders are burning from the day's labour but he knows there has to be something here. The geological surveys, the weathering of the rocks, even his one abortive attempt at using a divining rod; it all points to this spot. Dusk is approaching but he'll dig all night if he has to.

There's an ugly scraping sound as his shovel hits something hard. Rock or root, that's the question, so Naruto starts widening the hole. He's well-equipped – there's a pickaxe for breaking up larger stones, as well as a hatchet for hacking through wood, stashed in his backpack a mere step away.

The shovel bounces off the obstruction with a metallic clang, and Naruto's heart drops through the soles of his boots, then leaps up to flutter in his throat. In an instant he's scrabbling in the dirt on his hands and knees, and despite the failing light he spots the telltale gleam of metal.

Does it take seconds or hours to work his prize loose? All Naruto knows is that by the time he stands up again, covered in sweat and dust, it's gone dark. His lantern is the only light for miles around.

Naruto's hands tremble as he lifts the lustrous chunk of gold out of the hole, dirt slewing off and leaving behind metal the colour of sunshine. It's heavier than he expected – if it were any bigger, he doesn't think he could carry it. Keeping a cautious eye out for anyone who might stumble across his corner of nowhere, he stuffs it in a sack and hides it under his saddlebags, right beside his bedroll. For one terrible moment he's tempted to ride off in the dark, but he knows it would be madness.

The next morning dawns bright and early. Naruto greets it bleary-eyed. It's hard to sleep well when more wealth than he's ever seen in one spot is lying two feet away.

He spends fifteen minutes digging at the same hole, just in case there's more gold right below his find. When he only finds rocks and sand, he fills everything in and marks the spot with a small cairn of stones. He hopes the gold nugget will set him up for the rest of his life, and he won't be returning here , it's a good idea to take precautions.

Between fevered half-dreams and his attempts to strategise while staring at the distant stars, Naruto has a plan. His gold – his gold, and how sweet those words sound – will last him until he breathes his last. Other than the lump in his saddlebags, though, his worldly possessions are scarce. An old revolver with the spur on the hammer filed off. Thirty-two bullets. A nag that can manage a trot, just about. A bedroll, a saddle and accoutrements. Four cans of beans. Two dollars and, he carefully counts out onto his palm, seventeen cents.

By the time he reaches town, Naruto has decided where every scrap will be used, down to the last bean.

Gold Crick is named after the local dentist, a short fat man with a mouthful of shiny fillings. It has two saloons, one draughty church, one sleepy telegraph office that serves every village within forty miles, four dozen farming families, and up until yesterday exactly zero gold deposits. If Naruto had known that, though, he would never have come here to try his luck.

There's no trains out here, and Naruto doesn't fancy his chances riding to the nearest station, with nothing but an old gun to protect himself against robbers and bandits. Five cents is enough to buy a newspaper, and on one of the last pages he finds what he's looking for. Uchiha Guardsman Foils Would-Be Robbers! and, written underneath in slightly smaller letters, Barnsdale Bank Thanks Local Family Of Lawmen. The story itself is a history of the crimes that the robbers had committed, and Naruto skims over it rather than waste time on pointless details. Given the lack of other prospects mentioned in the paper, it's a stroke of good fortune that he's got a name as well as a town to go off of.

"I'd like to send a message to Barnsdale, addressed to the Uchiha family," he politely tells the clerk at the telegram office. "I'm in need of a bodyguard detail and can pay well."

The clerk raises a bushy eyebrow at him, but dutifully notes down the message: FOR DELIVERY TO BARNSDALE UCHIHA FAMILY STOP BODYGUARD REQUIRED IN GOLD CRICK STOP PAYMENT OFFERED BY UZUMAKI. "You can pay well, is that right? I'm impressed you can even afford the telegram," he says. "That will be seventy-five cents."

Naruto gives him the money and then heads for the cheaper of the two saloons. A room for the week costs another forty cents, and that's before paying for meals. Barnsdale is five days' hard riding away, and unless he wants to live off beans and whatever he can forage or hunt, he'll need to spend the last of his cash on food. The gold, he knows, has to be hidden until he gets somewhere he can sell it, or perhaps have it melted down into smaller pieces. If anyone finds out about the huge nugget, thieves and robbers will flock around him like flies on carrion, and a horde of gold-seekers will try to get the mine's location out of him by any means possible.

There's not much space between the bed and the window, so Naruto can't even pace. His saddlebags are sat in the corner of the grimy room, staring at him. If Naruto spends all week waiting inside, he'll go mad. There's only good farming folk out here, honest god-fearing men and women. If they discover what he's found, they'll celebrate him. It's the rumours they might spread that he fears.

Despite all that, Naruto would rather cut off his hand than leave his gold behind, even for five minutes. His visits to the outhouse have been brief and stress-filled affairs, and he's taken his meals sitting on the edge of the bed. The sheets are so stained that he doubts he could tell if he spilled stew over them. So passes the first day and the first night, and by the next morning he's a nervous wreck.

Where to put the gold? He can't bury it for fear that someone else finds it, he can't entrust it to anyone because of the tales they might tell, he can't spend it because nobody in the town can afford it. The locals might be good at shooting coyotes that bother the sheep, but he wouldn't trust a single one of them in a firefight, so he can't hire a local guard or two.

If only the damn Uchiha lived closer!

The second evening takes Naruto past his breaking point. He curses at the sky, the gold, his gun, his horse, and every speck of Gold Crick. Then, eyes wild, he leaves his room behind and sits in the saloon. He orders a whiskey and plays a round of cards. He loses two hands and wins one, but he has no idea what order they were played in. The only thing keeping him sane is the eye he's keeping on the stairs. As soon as anyone enters or leaves one of the private rooms, he'll spot them.

His fingers toy with the grip of his revolver. If it comes down to it, if he sees someone walk down the stairs with his saddlebags, they'll need to be carried out in a coffin.

"I'll raise you five cents," one of the players says. He's a friendly fellow from two villages over, in town to sell some livestock. The other players are the cowboys who bought his cows and are driving them to the city. They're drinking more than the rest of the saloon put together. One of them tells Naruto that they'll be around for a few more days. They want to buy more cattle before they start moving their herd.

Naruto realises he's up next. "Call," he says, and pushes his own five cents into the pot.

Before he knows it, it's getting dark outside. Somehow Naruto's lucked his way into a good share of the pot, and he's half a dollar richer as he ambles up the stairs. The steady flow of whiskey has eased his mind somewhat and it helps him fall asleep, saddlebags and gold pinned between his body and the wall.

The new routine scrapes every nerve raw, but Naruto pulls through. A few hours a day he watches the stairs and plays hand after hand of poker, mostly breaking even. The rest of the time, he sits in his room and either stares out the window or at the door. A run of good hands and a bit of inspired bluffing leaves him up four dollars and forty cents by the time the cowboys are leaving.

He says goodbye to his new friends – Paolo the tall rancher and his hired hands Steve and Mike, brothers who both sport huge bushy ginger beards – then makes his way upstairs again. He's drunk a little less tonight. The Uchiha might arrive tomorrow, and he wants to make a good first impression. If they tell him to fuck off, he's screwed.

As always, Naruto covers his gold with his body. He sleeps with his pistol in his hand. Four eventless nights should have lowered his guard, but the press of unworked metal against his hip makes sure he doesn't relax overmuch.

A low voice outside the door wakes him. The grip of his revolver is sweaty; the room is over the kitchen and gets very hot at night.

"...we'll be gone by dawn, and who cares if they send anyone after us?" It's Paolo, and Naruto almost relaxes back into sleep. But instead, he listens just a little longer. "The blond prick has three dollars that belong to me. I'm not leaving them behind."

Naruto freezes. He's shoved his cash into the same saddlebags that hold his gold, so he can't even buy off the intruders by returning their money. He won it fair and square, but three dollars isn't worth shooting someone over.

The gold, though – the damned gold. For that, he'll fire his revolver in anger for the first time.

There's a creak as someone steps on the floorboard outside the bedroom. Naruto brings his pistol to bear with slippery hands. The handle turns ever-so-slowly but the door is locked.

Naruto has almost decided they've given up when there's an almighty crash as Paolo tries to kick down the door. It shatters into splinters but its shoddy construction has worked in Naruto's favour. The offending leg has gone straight through the wood, and is now trapped inside the room.

Boards splinter as Paolo tries to pull his leg out. Then he changes his mind and Naruto sees the barrel of a pistol come through the hole in the door. "Naruto–" Paolo's voice rings out.

*blam*

It takes less force than Naruto expected to pull the trigger. His shot goes high. Rather than punching into Paolo's thigh, the bullet pierces his stomach and he falls back, leg still wedged in the broken door. There's a patter of feet down the stairs. His accomplices don't want to be on the scene when the whole town rouses.

Paolo's screams fade fast, but the first men on the scene still see him writhe on the floor, blood pumping out between scarlet fingers. Naruto rocks back and forth a few steps away, gun trained on the doorway.

This isn't the sort of place where gunshots in the night are expected, and the hotel is soon swarming with shocked farmers. "I can't believe he'd do something like that," Naruto hears more than once from puzzled throats. As if, by haggling with the cowherd, they'd gained a glimpse of who he was deep down. He has very little patience for such foolishness.

If it weren't for the clear evidence that Paolo had been breaking into his room, Naruto knows he'd be on trial before the sun even comes up. As it is, the door is replaced and he's left to stare at his shaking hands, still smelling faintly of gunpowder, while outside two men dig a deep grave.

There will be more questions for him by nightfall, he knows.

So it's understandable that Naruto isn't in the best frame of mind when a dark-haired stranger knocks on the door around noon.

"I've been told this is Uzumaki's room?" The voice is smooth, confident. It almost covers the jagged edges just below the surface, like a tangle of barbed wire hidden in a muddy creek. "I'm the Uchiha representative."

"What the fuck took you so long?" Naruto spits out before he can stop himself.

The Uchiha carefully opens the door and steps into the room. Behind him, Naruto can see bloodstains in the wood that haven't washed out. Perhaps they never will.

"There were some familial complications," he says. He's a quiet sort of man, with dark eyes and hair the colour of a raven's wing in sunlight. His chin is a touch too sharp, his nose ever-so-slightly too narrow, to be conventionally attractive. But his bearing – oh, Naruto sees the power in that slender frame, sees the inner strength wrapped in a shell of brittle glass. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I can see you safely to your destination."

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto replies. "Close the door, please."

When they're alone, he relaxes for the first time since he found the gold.

"You mentioned payment. The rate is three dollars per day, non-negotiable. You're paying for my time, my loyalty and the risk to my life." Sasuke is clearly used to dealing with recalcitrant clients.

"I need an escort to the nearest city with a large bank. Unless you think there's a safer route to somewhere else, that means Newport. I can only pay you when we arrive," Naruto says, apologetic.

Sasuke frowns, unimpressed. "Explain."

Naruto pulls the saddlebags open without speaking. He knows it has to be seen to be believed.

Sasuke stares, eyes wide and mouth falling open. "Does that have anything to do with the scene outside?"

Naruto shakes his head and tries to lighten the mood with a joke. "He was a terrible poker player and a poor loser. And also not as sneaky as he needed to be." And my friend, or at least I thought he was.

"Well, let's get moving then. My horse is outside; I took the liberty of bringing a spare. Unless you have a decent mount I suggest you borrow him." With that, Sasuke is leaving again. Naruto scrambles to stuff his few belongings into his bags. It's just his shaving kit and some spare underwear. He prefers to travel light.

It's an odd feeling, giving such an abrupt goodbye to Gold Crick. For the last few months it's been Naruto's home, and given what's happened here he won't forget it anytime soon. He sells his nag to one of the barflies for much less than it's worth, and stuffs the money into his sock for now. An emergency stash is never a bad thing.

"We'll need to move fast," Sasuke explains as they saddle up. "There's a risk that your victim has family or friends who will try to avenge him. I have a room in Newport, so once we reach the city we can plan our next move."

Naruto hadn't thought of that. Steve and Mike must still be around somewhere, unless they've decided to cut their losses and move the cattle without their boss.

Sasuke leads the way out of the town, following a trail by the creek that gave Gold Crick the latter half of its name. His eyes are scanning the trees around them, and his hand is never far from his revolver. Naruto stares at the gun; it's much nicer and newer than his own. The barrel is longer and the hammer is still intact.

"Once upon a time, the Uchiha were known as blacksmiths who could craft a fine blade," Sasuke says. Naruto blinks and looks up as he realises he's been caught staring. Sasuke's eyes are dark and he doesn't hold Naruto's gaze for long; he goes back to searching through the undergrowth around the path. "Then we were famous as a family of gunsmiths. Now we're hired guns. The world is a strange place; we must all change or perish."

"I've been a miner for a few years now," Naruto offers. "Before that I worked on Uncle Iruka's farm. Never knew my folks, though. They died in the Great Fire of Holzenhausen when I was a baby."

"My condolences," Sasuke says. The words are flat and lifeless, and his face has gone cold and very distant.

Naruto frowns. "So how come you're the only person the Uchiha sent? Are you some kind of wonder child? You can't be much older than me."

"I came because I'm the only one left," Sasuke replies, sounding dead inside. "And I'm 19, in case you were wondering."

"You're younger than me. Only by a year, but still." Naruto almost stops his horse in shock. What the hell's the point in hiring a gunman who, by the looks of things, has barely started shaving?

Sasuke shrugs. "And yet when I found you, you were freaking out over shooting some sneak thief. I'm guessing it's the first time you've killed a man." He seems unbothered and that, more than anything, gives Naruto pause.

"How many people have you killed then?" Naruto asks, morbidly curious.

"I'm not sure any more."

That puts paid to any further conversation for the morning.

They ride along the creek, now passing through stands of birch, now skirting the edge of a farmer's fields, now cutting through the open prairie. The pace Sasuke sets is not too fast, and Naruto's horse is well-rested, so they don't stop for lunch. Sasuke passes Naruto some dried beef jerky that feels like a shoe sole between his teeth, and tastes about the same.

It's only in the mid-afternoon that Naruto asks the question that's been bothering him for a while. "How come you're working as a hired gun?"

Sasuke's clothes need laundering, but are of a stylish cut. The cloth and leather is of high quality as well, much better than anyone in Gold Crick, save perhaps the dentist, could afford. His hat is soft felt and has a fancy ribbon around the base. Even his pistol is pricey, going by the elaborate carvings around the grip.

"I really don't like outlaws and bandits," Sasuke says, something in his tone warning Naruto not to ask any more questions.

Naruto's always been a brave fellow, though. "Why is that?"

Sasuke holds up a hand for silence, looking around. They're about to ride past a field of corn, tall green stalks swaying in the wind. "Let's go the long way around," Sasuke decides. "This is the perfect spot for an ambush."

They skirt the field, leaving a good fifty paces between them and the edge of the maize. Sasuke explains how a man can be hidden by the plants until he reaches out to grab the horse's reins.

He's more chatty the rest of the day, and points out other signs to watch out for. Lots of routes are little-traveled and wouldn't be worth staking out for any group of thieves who want to eat regularly, since they can't steal enough from the few passersby. But those passages are often used by bandits to travel around, since they're not policed. Sasuke always watches for signs of mounted men moving nearby, especially patterns of dust stirred up by horses.

Around dusk, they're passing close to a couple of farmhouses huddled near some woods. "We can spend the night here," Sasuke says. "I'll pay – you can reimburse me when you've got spending money." There's a sarcastic lilt to his words.

"Is it safe?" Naruto asks.

"As safe as anywhere, and safer than sleeping in the wilds," Sasuke says with a careless bob of his shoulders.

The farm that Sasuke picks has hosted him before. The farmer's daughter, Ino, is hopelessly smitten and spends dinner chattering about the different kinds of flowers she grows. "Red roses are the traditional flowers of love if you ask the man on the street, of course. But I planted some red chrysanthemums last week which are perfect for a declaration of love. I can't wait for them to bloom. Is there someone you'd give a red chrysanthemum to, Sasuke?" She flutters her eyelashes at him.

Naruto spends the meal discussing horse illnesses with Inoichi, her father. Sasuke occasionally casts longing glances over to their end of the table, but Ino always ropes him back into her conversation on flowers.

The food is excellent, and they sleep in the warm hay barn. It smells of meadows and cozy winters spent feeding the cattle on snowy mornings. Naruto has the best night's sleep since he left Uncle Iruka's farm to seek his fortune.

He dreams of riding through the gates in a top hat and coattails, astride a white horse, and Uncle Iruka will see that he's had the seeds of greatness in him all along.

They leave right after breakfast the next morning. Ino gives Naruto a yellow rose, and he sticks it in his breast pocket. He watches her pin a rose so red it's almost purple to Sasuke's lapel, and press a soft kiss on his cheek. Inoichi pretends not to see.

"We won't always be able to stop at a friendly house like that," Sasuke warns him once they're underway. "Tomorrow night I'll book us two rooms in a hotel."

"Ino seems nice," Naruto ventures, not sure whether to ask about her obvious affection for Sasuke.

Sasuke snorts. "Ino thinks I'm a big-city dandy who can sweep her off her feet and into the pages of a bawdy romance novel."

"And are you?" Naruto asks, giggling.

"Well," Sasuke runs a hand through his long locks then replaces his hat, "I'm definitely a fine-looking gentleman. Unfortunately for Ino, I'm not looking for a girl."

Today's ride follows a more direct route. Rather than following a stream, Sasuke takes them down an old trail that cuts across the open prairie. It's harder on the horses – the gentle roll of the land is, up close, an exhausting series of slopes – but there's no need for detours and no chance of meeting any strangers.

"We'll have to wild camp tonight," Sasuke says at dusk. "I'd hoped to make it another three miles or so to Oakwell. I know a friendly widow there by the name of Tsunade, but it's not worth risking the horses in the dark. There's a stream nearby and we've got rations. Unless it rains we'll be alright."

It's peaceful under the stars. Sasuke cooks while Naruto tends to the horses, and then they eat together and watch the night sky. It's chilly enough that Sasuke pulls out a blanket, which they share.

"Sometimes I wonder what's up there," Naruto says, "way up, higher than even the stars go."

"I like to think that if you go far enough, you can get anywhere, even to Heaven." Sasuke's eyes are dark with grief and without thinking, Naruto puts an arm around him. He stiffens for a second, then leans ever-so-slightly into the embrace.

When they reach civilisation, Naruto realises, he's going to be a rich man. Rich men have bodyguards, don't they? Maybe he'll need to keep Sasuke around a while longer.

They stop in Oakwell the next morning to pick up some extra food and, Naruto sees with some regret, a second blanket.

The ride across the prairie continues. Apart from bracken and the occasional stunted tree, there's nothing to break up the monotony from horizon to horizon. Come late afternoon, though, a squalid collection of huts comes into view.

"Welcome to Oscottbridge," Sasuke says. "It's a dump but the whiskey's cheap and the hotels are clean."

As they ride down the town's single street, Naruto is struck by the piles of manure and refuse that nobody's cleared away. In larger cities it's the norm, but Oscottbridge is small enough it should have at least a few houseproud men and women who don't want a stench on the doorstep.

The Lucky Duck has a grimy pond outside, more scum than water. It must be years since any ducks lived here. Nevertheless, Sasuke books two rooms and then sits down at the bar. Naruto joins him for a drink, saddlebags kept close at hand.

It's only when they're on their second drink that he realises they're not alone. In the corner of the room sits a grey-haired young man with glasses, and opposite him is a woman with a lustrous waterfall of black-as-sin hair and ghostly-pale skin. The man takes off one of his boots and puts his foot in the woman's lap, and Naruto looks away, flushing. It's not right to do that in public.

Then the woman turns and Naruto almost chokes on his whiskey. He's actually a man, despite the beautiful hair, but Naruto can see there's something wrong with his pupils. He gets up and saunters over, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Well hello there, my darling Sasuke. Fancy you stopping by. Are you here to greet your old friend, Orochimaru?" he asks, each word sibilant.

Sasuke freezes up, and then he's spinning in his seat, gun in hand. Orochimaru just laughs as Sasuke cocks his revolver. "My dearest Sasuke, you are not the only armed person in this bar."

It's true. The grey-haired man has a pistol out as well, and it's pointed at Sasuke's heart. Naruto sends his own hand creeping towards his holster. He steps in front of his saddlebags, protecting them from the strangers. Orochimaru's eyes flick over him, then his gaze sweeps away, dismissing him.

Sasuke's eyes are black as night; his voice is cold as midwinter. "I told you what would happen if I ever saw you again."

"I'm sorry to say that the world doesn't revolve around you," Orochimaru says. "Darling Kabuto and I happened to be stopping here for a drink. We wouldn't want to make a scene, after all. I dare say we were as surprised by this meeting as you and your… partner."

Orochimaru and Kabuto sweep past, Kabuto keeping a wary eye on them both. His gun doesn't waver and Sasuke's eyes are fixated on it.

Naruto puts two and two together as the doors swing closed behind the pair. "Wait. Sasuke, were you and he, you know, together?"

He immediately regrets the question. Sasuke's hand is white-knuckled as it grips the rim of the bar. "I knew Orochimaru, once upon a time. Or at least I thought I did."

What on Earth is Naruto supposed to say to that? It's a story that Sasuke's not ready to tell yet. Over the last few days, Naruto's stumbled from one story like that to another. One day he might get answers, but right now he might as well try to squeeze water from a rock.

"Naruto." Stress lines Sasuke's face, and Naruto notices that his gun still isn't back in its holster. "Did you give Orochimaru any indication whatsoever about the thing?" He jerks his head towards the saddlebags.

"I don't think so? I mean, I stood to block his view, so he won't have gotten a good look at it," Naruto says.

Sasuke curses. "We need to leave. Now."

"Are you sure?"

"You hired me to keep you clear of any bandits and thieves. Listen to me when I tell you this – you're in more danger now than when that man broke into your room in Gold Crick." Sasuke is already moving. He's scooped up the saddlebags and leads Naruto through the back door to the stables. "What are you waiting for? Get your gun out!"

Naruto draws his pistol. It feels heavier now it's taken a life.

The horses are tired but Sasuke pushes the pace and takes them north towards Newport. "We'll camp somewhere in the wilderness then push hard tomorrow. I think we can make it by nightfall."

They can't go far in the dark without risking the horses. Sasuke finds a copse of trees and they bed down in the middle. They don't risk a fire.

Sasuke wakes Naruto at dawn and they set off without making breakfast. "Can you tell me more about Orochimaru?" Naruto asks.

Silence reigns long enough that he doesn't think he'll get an answer. Then, at last, Sasuke speaks.

"I met him when I was in a bad spot. He's an abusive psychopath, don't get me wrong, and his attitude towards the law is not so much 'disrespect' as 'ignore completely'. But he was nice to me at first. He treated me as though I mattered. And at the time, that was what I needed." Sasuke spits on the ground as they ride along. "That's why he's dangerous. He understands people, and he uses that, uses them, for his own ends."

Naruto reflects on that for a moment. "Is he a good shot?"

"I have no idea. He's part of a travelling troupe, and the other members tend to handle the dirty work. Kidnapping, blackmail, robbery, sometimes even murder for hire." Sasuke looks sick. "Some of the things I've seen…"

"If we come across him again, what do we do?" Naruto asks.

After a second's pause, Sasuke barks out a bitter laugh. "If we see him again I'm going to shoot him through the fucking head. Then we run from the others. Kimimaro has white hair and rickets, Kidoumaru's the one with two pistols, Tayuya carries her flute everywhere and she has red hair, Jirobo's really fat, and Sakon wears black lipstick. Kabuto you've met. He's the deadliest of them all."

"They sound like a complicated bunch," Naruto says.

"They're misfits and weirdos." Sasuke frowns. "That's why I fit in with them."

"Really?" Looking at Sasuke's neatly-pressed shirt and ornate belt, Naruto can't believe that he'd ever been a misfit.

Sasuke looks away. "Some things about me aren't accepted by polite society."

Naruto's pried enough for one day, he decides. The mystery that is Sasuke Uchiha will keep.

Lunch is a short affair. Naruto stretches his legs as he stuffs bread and cheese into his mouth, and then they ride on. The horses are faltering but another few hours is all that separates them from Newport and safety.

The path Sasuke has picked skirts dangerously close to a small cliff. It's long, a mile or so, but they keep a dozen paces away from the edge as they ride. At the midpoint the drop is fifty feet. Naruto keeps glancing at the edge, nervous, so he misses the moment that Orochimaru steps out of cover. He's on foot, and so are the four men and women spread out behind him.

Sasuke halts both horses immediately. He doesn't reach for his gun, and it takes Naruto a moment to spot why.

A glint of sunlight off a rifle barrel shows Kabuto hidden in a tree, sixty paces onwards. His aim looks steady even though his perch is precarious.

"Why don't they have horses?" Naruto hisses.

Sasuke barely moves his lips as he answers. "Orochimaru had a job go wrong once when a horse fell on him. He doesn't trust them when he thinks there might be shooting. They'll be tied up near Kabuto."

Orochimaru's backups fan out, pinning the two of them against the cliff edge. Orochimaru himself closes the gap to Sasuke, step by cautious step. There's a huge knife in his hand – more of a sword, really – and he's licking his lips with an overlong tongue. His expression sends a shiver down Naruto's spine.

"Where's Kimimaro?" Sasuke asks, turning on the spot, trying to keep everyone in his field of vision.

The redhead, Tayuya, is playing with a straight razor. She's the one to answer. "He's dead. Heart failure, six months ago."

Orochimaru takes another step forward. The knife has seen a lot of use, going by the wear on the handle, but its edge is keen. It's been well-cared for and Naruto's almost sick as he thinks of the uses a man could have for a weapon like that. Guns are one thing, a quick death by lead, but to hack and chop at a living thing until its life is spilled out on the ground? The mere idea turns his stomach.

The fat man must be Jirobo. He has a woodsman's axe at his side and a shotgun cradled in his arms. His eyes are fixed on Naruto's saddlebags. Naruto grasps at that thread; it's a means to control the confrontation, maybe get them both out alive.

"Stop!" Naruto shouts. He's at the very edge of the cliff. Another step and he'll fall and shatter into pieces on the rocks below. The saddlebags open easy, and Naruto cradles the gold nugget in both hands. He sees the greed cloud Orochimaru's mind; the same greed sparkles from the eyes of his gang. That's the leverage he needs. "Let us leave or I'm sending this over the edge!"

"Oho, interesting," Orochimaru says. "Throw your pistol over first and I'll consider it."

Kabuto still has a rifle pointed their way, so Naruto doesn't see any other option. For a long moment he thinks of alternatives, but Jirobo is inching closer. He lobs his old revolver into the void and it's dashed apart, metal bent and broken beyond repair.

"If Sasuke does the same I'll let you both ride away from here." Orochimaru's laugh doesn't reach his eyes any more. Perhaps he can tell how desperate Naruto is, and doesn't relish hunting through the base of the cliffs for his prize.

Perhaps he also knows how very proud Sasuke is, because the Uchiha has made no move to discard his weapon. Naruto reaches across and grabs his revolver, but Sasuke clamps down on his hand.

"I'm not letting you die due to your own stubbornness," Naruto snarls. With a wrench he gets his hand – and the gun – free. He slings it down below. "Get Kabuto to lower his rifle, or I swear to god all this gold is going over the edge."

Orochimaru laughs, high and shrill, and waves his arm in a circling motion. Kabuto drops down from the tree and starts making his way over. "I guess we can do this the slow way now," Orochimaru says.

Jirobo is holding a shotgun. Orochimaru and Tayuya are each armed with a blade. Sakon grasps a spear, of all things. Kidoumaru has a revolver in each hand, but he's blocked off the way they came. Kabuto doesn't have a good line of sight any more, now he's down on the ground.

Naruto makes a split-second decision and jerks both horses into motion, running for a gap in the half-circle around him and Sasuke. He hurls the gold behind him and it tumbles down the cliff-face. Orochimaru howls in rage and rushes to the cliff rather than move to chase them.

The wind whips through his hair as he leans low over his horse. He's riding for the spot between Sakon and Tayuya. There's a cracking sound as Jirobo fires his shotgun but it goes wide. Naruto presses himself even lower as he braces himself for Kidoumaru's shots, but nothing comes from that corner.

Sakon runs to intercept them, spear ready, but he's too slow. Tayuya drops her razor and draws a pistol but by the time she shoots, Naruto and Sasuke are already disappearing amongst the trees. Her first shot is close enough that Naruto flinches but the rest tear through foliage and nothing else.

"Ride for the city, we'll be safe there!" Sasuke shouts. Naruto nods, trying not to think about the riches they're galloping away from. His stomach turns over but he's not tempted in the slightest to turn around. They're both unarmed and the knife that Orochimaru was holding keeps popping back into his head.

They keep checking for pursuit but the bandits seem more bothered with the gold than the riders. Naruto had hoped to buy time by dropping the gold down the cliff, but this is more than he'd reckoned he'd get.

It's only once they've reached Newport that Naruto realises he has no idea what to do next. He has no money, no weapon, no plan and no friends here.

"Come on," Sasuke says, getting out of the saddle and walking his exhausted horse down the main street. "We'll rest and plan our next steps."

Naruto ends up sitting in the parlour of a nice boarding house where Sasuke rents a room. "It's so nice to have you back," the proprietress says, hovering over him like a protective aunt. Sasuke introduces her as Ayame. Her father owns the establishment and cooks the meals. "And who's your gentleman friend?"

It's been a long time since anyone's called Naruto a gentleman. He smiles at her. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"We're actually just about to retire to my room," Sasuke interrupts. "It's a business meeting, sorry."

Ayame ruffles Naruto's hair. "You absolutely must stay for dinner afterwards – you look like skin and bones!"

"Sure thing, and thank you," Naruto says. If there's one thing life has taught him, it's that offers of food should never be refused.

They're barely in Sasuke's room when the Uchiha starts pacing, hands tearing at his hair.

Naruto looks around the chamber. It's larger than he expected, with a window overlooking a small garden. The furniture is cheap but solid. Apart from a wide bed, there's a thick rug on the floor, a cupboard on one wall and a chest of drawers against the other. A table and two chairs complete the catalogue of the room's contents. Naruto tries to read the title of the book on Sasuke's desk, but it's upside-down.

Sasuke interrupts his thoughts, voice thick with anger. "That fucker's gone too far this time. I'll get you your gold back, one way or another."

"Fuck the gold! I'm worried about you, you idiot! You almost got yourself shot." Naruto gestures with his empty hands, acutely aware of the gap at his hip where his gun should be.

Sasuke pulls two dusty tumblers out of the cupboard and pours each of them a finger of whiskey from an ornate crystal decanter. It looks out of place in the shabby but clean room.

"Occupational hazard," Sasuke grunts in response, but that's not good enough.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Naruto demands, grabbing Sasuke's shoulder.

"You found a way to turn a negotiation into us fleeing, almost getting shot, and still losing our gold and our weapons."

That's not the same thing at all. "That's different – I had no idea whether we could trust them to hold up their end of the bargain. I'm not trying to get myself killed! I'm a survivor."

Sasuke shouts right back. "You're a damn fool, that's what you are! All of this could have been avoided if you hadn't given the game away in Oscottbridge. If you flaunt your wealth, people are going to want to take a piece."

Naruto's not going to just stand there and take that. "I showed my find to exactly one person, and that was you."

"Do you have any idea how close I came to just riding off with that gold?" Sasuke demands.

"So why didn't you?" Naruto asks, voice rising. "Why the fuck didn't you just put a bullet between my eyes?"

There's an uneasy silence as they both stare into their whiskey glasses. It's easier for Naruto to argue when he doesn't have to look at his bodyguard. Is Sasuke still his bodyguard? After all, there's no way for Naruto to pay him now.

Sasuke drains his glass and scowls. "You want to know why? It's because you trusted me, and you're the only person in the whole fucking world who did."

"I still trust you, you idiot," Naruto snaps.

Sasuke grabs Naruto's glass out of his hands and downs the rest. "Well then why are we sitting around, drinking and feeling sorry for ourselves? Let's get your gold back."

"After this," Naruto says with feeling, "it ain't just my gold. If we get our hands on it again, that's what it'll be. Ours."

Sasuke smiles for the second time that Naruto's ever seen. "That means a lot to me. Really, it does."

They join the rest of the boarders for dinner. Teuchi turns out to be an elderly man who cooks the most beautiful noodles that Naruto's ever laid eyes on. He asks for seconds and then thirds, still eating long after the rest of the table has been cleared.

"Satisfied?" Sasuke asks drily after Naruto finishes.

Naruto stifles a burp with his hand. "Very. That was amazing."

It's dark by now and Naruto realises they'll need to rest before they plan anything else. "We've been awake for a good sixteen hours and I don't know about you but I slept poorly last night. Where can I get a room nearby?"

"You can stay in my room for the night," Sasuke says. "Ayame won't mind."

Naruto doesn't really have the funds to turn the offer down, so he agrees. It's only later, when he's lying in Sasuke's bed and staring at the ceiling in the dark, that he realises what sharing a room means. Beside him, separated by a foot of empty sheet, Sasuke has closed his eyes. His hair is splayed over the pillow, and it makes him look softer, more vulnerable.

It's an awkward question but Naruto doesn't think there'll be a better time to ask it. "Sasuke?" he hisses, after he's blown out the candle and the room is black as a coal cellar.

Sasuke rolls over to speak to him. "What is it?" His breath is warm on Naruto's face.

There's no light passing the curtains, and the rest of the house is silent. It feels like they might be the only two people in the whole world. Naruto likes the thought.

"You and Orochimaru," he begins, unsure of what to say next.

After a pause, Sasuke sighs. "We were lovers, a few years back."

"Oh, okay." Naruto's hands ball into fists, clutching the blanket. Why can't he force the words out?

"Is that a problem for you?" Sasuke's trying to sound blasé but Naruto can feel the tension underneath.

"No, not at all," Naruto says. "I just–"

"It's fine," Sasuke says, years of weariness showing for a brief moment. "You don't have to explain."

Naruto swallows the lump in his throat. "I just never knew I wasn't the only one with those feelings."

"...Huh."

They're almost asleep when Sasuke whispers over to him, ever so faintly. "When you say 'those feelings', do you mean more generally, or specifically about me?"

Rather than reply, Naruto reaches over to Sasuke. Under the covers, he's not quite where his body is. For a second he has a hold of– Naruto lets go like his hand's been scalded.

Sasuke chuckles. "I suppose that's one way to answer."

"Oh. I, um, wasn't trying to grab that." Naruto is glad that the darkness hides his blush.

He can hear Sasuke's amusement. "What were you trying to grab, then?"

After another second's fumbling, Naruto scoops an arm around Sasuke's shoulders and pulls him close. It's been a long time since he's felt the warmth of another person, and it's never quite felt like this.

They hold each other through the night.

Breakfast is less awkward than Naruto expected. The world carries on the way it always has. In the last two weeks he's killed a man and made a friend. He's won and then lost a fortune. For the first time he's admitted his feelings to another human being, and now Ayame is asking him if he wants more prunes in his porridge. There's an air of irreality to it all, and a feeling that perhaps he's a much smaller part of the world than he likes to imagine.

They leave the boarding house behind and make their way into the city. As they walk, Sasuke explains his plan. "We'll check out one of the old Uchiha stashes to get armed, then we'll pick up the trail. Orochimaru will be in a hideout nearby. He'll need the same thing from Newport as us – a chance to turn that gold into something more spendable. And he can't waltz in here until he's made sure we're not waiting for him. So he's nearby, and because he's a patient man, he's staying put for at least a week. We find him and his posse, wait for nightfall, and shoot our way through the lot of them."

"The Uchiha stashes?" Naruto asks. It's the only part of the plan that he doesn't understand.

"My family have been gunsmiths for a long time, so there's a lot of heirloom pieces floating around. I put together a few caches in case I needed some extra firepower fast." Not for the first time, Naruto marvels that a man so wealthy is willing to work as a hired gun.

The main street of Newport is bustling even at this early hour. Down by the river the docks are loading and unloading freight from all over the world, and the railways are moving goods across the country. Rows of smokestacks on the other bank show where the factories are already in full swing. But Sasuke takes them down a side street to a small bakery, where a grey-haired man with a missing eye is kneading dough. He has a navy scarf pulled up over his face.

"This man is something like an adoptive uncle to me," he whispers to Naruto. "It's kinda complicated, but he's some of the only family I have left now."

"He's also," the man calls, "blessed with uncommonly good hearing. How've you been, Sasuke?"

"Kakashi!" Sasuke shouts. "How's the best baker in Newport doing?"

"You're never this nice. What do you want?" Kakashi sounds stern but Naruto sees the twinkle in his eye. "Apart from a bite to eat, of course."

There's no customers around – the breakfast rush must be over – so Sasuke and Naruto crowd into the tiny bakery entrance. In the back, two huge brick ovens with massive metal doors are sending a delightful smell wafting through the building and out the front door. Kakashi's deft fingers slide half a dozen sweet rolls into a paper bag and slap it down on the counter.

"I'm here to collect a few odds and ends," Sasuke says, keeping an eye on the door. "I might need them sometime soon."

Kakashi glances at the empty holsters that Naruto and Sasuke are wearing. "I see. You'd better come through, then." He raises the counter and directs them to a floury rug. Whatever colour it used to be, it's now an odd off-white. Sasuke pushes it aside, coating himself in flour in the process, and then uses a crowbar that Kakashi hands him to pry up one of the floorboards.

Naruto looks around the bakery. There's plenty of what he assumes are baker's tools, but his eyes are drawn to the shotgun under the till and the pistol tucked away beside the finished bread. Kakashi notices and smiles. "There've been a few robberies. Well, attempted robberies, I guess. It can be rough out here and people sometimes try to pick on little old me, can you believe it?"

"What, more than once?" Naruto asks. The baker seems kind but there are dozens of scars on his hands and an old bullet wound on his forearm. If this isn't a retired gunslinger Naruto will eat his hat.

Kakashi nods. "The first man to try it, I let live. The second time I wasn't so kind. I've been left alone after that." With the scarf covering half his face, Naruto can't tell if he's joking. He wonders what's underneath, and why a baker needs a face cover like that. Perhaps it's to keep flour out of his mouth.

"Could you help with this?" Sasuke asks. Naruto takes one end of a heavy wooden chest and heaves it out of the hole under the floorboards. They open it right there on the floor. Inside, wrapped in cloth, are four rifles and four revolvers. The metal is lustrous and covered with decorative etching. Sasuke reaches to the bottom of the chest and pulls out six bags of ammunition. "They're custom pieces so it's hard to get bullets the right size."

Kakashi serves an elderly lady while Sasuke picks out the guns they'll need. "Hold this," he says, pressing a revolver into Naruto's hand. He immediately snatches it back. "Perhaps this one instead. Do you prefer single action, single/double action or double action only?"

A rapid-fire series of questions later, Sasuke decides that Naruto knows "absolutely nothing about guns. Seriously, how have you made it this far in life?"

Naruto spends the next five minutes learning all about the different pistols in the chest.

He ends up holding a single/double-action revolver. It can squeeze off six shots in a row without him needing to cock it in between, although drawing the hammer back will help with the aiming. It's a lot like his old gun, except he can cock it before shooting. It's also much nicer and better-maintained.

Once Naruto has a pistol at his side again the world feels a great deal less threatening. The unfamiliar weight of a rifle slung over his shoulder stops him from relaxing, though. The chest is back under the floorboards and with Kakashi's well-wishes ringing in their ears and a bag of pastries each they march back to the boarding house.

It's time to saddle up. Naruto has gold to recover and Sasuke has a past to put to rest. One way or another, both those tales will end today.

The ride out to the ambush site is quiet. Naruto's consumed with thoughts of how he wants to spend his share of the money. Sasuke, as is often the case, is an enigma.

A mile out, they stop and Sasuke sets up a handful of empty tin cans. "I'm not walking into a firefight with a gun I haven't shot before, and I won't let you do it either," he says. Naruto struggles to hit with the rifle, but the pistol handles nicely. They don't practice for long. Sasuke is worried the trail may grow cold.

Rather than the top of the cliff, Sasuke rides for the base. "They'll have come down here to retrieve the gold. And on the off chance they didn't, we can get it for ourselves without needing to shoot anyone."

Naruto's hopes are raised and then swiftly dashed again. There's a mark in the hard earth where the nugget landed, and around it are horses' hooves. "At least there's a trail to follow," he tells Sasuke.

They make it about two hundred yards before the hoofprints disappear. "Standard procedure," Sasuke says. "They'll have walked the horses about fifty yards to one side or the other, wiping out the tracks as they went, and then ridden on."

But there are no tracks anywhere within fifty yards. "Maybe Orochimaru knew you'd search around that distance," Naruto says after a hot and sweaty quarter-hour of searching.

Sasuke curses. "He's normally predictable as a timepiece."

"How about this," Naruto offers. "There's not going to be many people travelling this way, so if we ride in a big circle a mile out and look for tracks we should be able to pick them up that way."

"Nobody else comes this way," Sasuke corrects. "It's a shortcut I learned from my time with Orochimaru. He must have found an even faster route, though, or he couldn't have intercepted us yesterday."

Naruto hefts his rifle as they ride. It's a strange feeling, holding a gun and knowing he's planning to fire it in cold blood. But Orochimaru is dangerous and he's stolen what's theirs. When the time comes, Naruto won't hesitate.

"I've found something!" Sasuke shouts. Naruto hurries over; there are clear hoofprints in the softer dirt here, and if he squints he can make out a vague pattern in the harder earth to either side.

"Let's go, then. We're losing daylight," Naruto says. It's true. They reached the cliff before noon but it's mid-afternoon now, and there's only so many hours until the trail becomes impossible to follow. Nightfall will bring an end to their search, and the longer they take, the more likely that Orochimaru escapes.

They lose the trail twice, but are able to pick it up again after much frustration. Towards evening there's a spot where the hoofprints take a sharp turn and head for a small forest. Naruto and Sasuke exchange glances. This might be the end of the search.

It's only once they've tied their horses to a large rock that Sasuke and Naruto move towards the trees. Approaching on foot makes it easier to sneak close, and Naruto is the first to spot the tiny cottage nestled amongst the leafy boughs. Sasuke, however, is the one to see the two guards outside.

"Do you think they saw us?" Naruto asks after they've ducked down behind a shrub.

Sasuke frowns. "I don't think so, but we can't be sure. Either way we need to hit that cottage. And at least now we know it's the right place."

"They won't have stashed the gold somewhere else?"

"No, for the same reason you never let it out of your sight." Sasuke seems certain, and it's almost dusk, so they resolve to wait for nightfall. Then they'll make their move.

Naruto takes the lead for once. Sasuke's travelled all across the country but at heart he's a city boy. Naruto, though, grew up on a farm. If they're slithering through the dirt then he's going to pick the route.

It works a charm. Before too long, he can hear the guards arguing.

"Kidoumaru, shut your whore mouth. You're such a fuck-up! If you'd fired at the bloody fools, instead of staring at the gold tumbling down the hill, we wouldn't have to stand guard right now." It's Tayuya's voice, according to Sasuke.

A man's voice answers. "Hey, I'd rather make sure we keep eyes on the money and can get paid for our trouble. Apart from the boss, who wants another couple of dead men? Besides, I'm kinda happy I didn't have to shoot Sasuke. Unlike some people I don't get off on killing former friends."

"You pussy bitch." Tayuya's not happy at all, but whatever else she was saying is cut off as Sasuke clobbers her over the head with the butt of his rifle. She drops like a sack of potatoes. Naruto supposes that's his cue. He steps into view, his own rifle trained on Kidoumaru.

"No fast movements, now," Naruto tells him. Kidoumaru's hands are on his revolvers but he carefully raises them again, showing they're empty.

"He lives," Sasuke orders, then turns to their captive. "Get down on the ground and we'll tie you up. Make a sound and we'll have to shoot."

Even before the words are fully out, Kidoumaru is already dropping to his knees. "Thank you, Sasuke."

"You'd do the same for me," Sasuke says. "When this is over, one way or the other, you're going to want to go a long way away."

Kidoumaru nods as he opens his mouth for Sasuke to gag him.

"Okay, now what?" Naruto asks. "Shouldn't we interrogate him or something?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "He won't turn on the others, and I'm not going to torture him."

Naruto supposes that's fair enough. They tie both Kidoumaru and Tayuya up and lean them against the wall, then press their ears to the wall of the cottage. It's just wooden boards, so someone inside might have heard the commotion.

"...worth more than that!" Orochimaru hisses. "We're not fencing it and that's final!"

"But think of how much risk there is if we just walk into Newport." The voice is unfamiliar, but Sasuke mouths 'Kabuto'. "A fence removes the chance that we're arrested and Sasuke recovers the gold."

A chair creaks; someone's either stood up or sat down. "How can we trust the fence to not cross us? And that's without getting into the problem of finding someone with that much cash on hand!"

Sasuke places a gentle hand on Naruto's arm. "Let's move before they realise we're here."

The door to the cottage isn't locked, but they don't know who's inside. "We can't sneak our way in. We kick down the door and start shooting, and we don't stop until nothing moves." Naruto can't believe the words coming out of his mouth, but after the last day's events he won't shy away from anything. Whatever it takes, he's getting that gold back.

Rifles are too large for the close confines of the cottage. Sasuke takes them both and wraps them in a soft cloth, then slides the bundle under the front step. Naruto doesn't know why he's taking such care – either they walk out alive and can grab them again, or they die and it doesn't matter anyway. The rifles would be just as safe leant up against the wall. But there's no time to ask. Revolvers in hand, they stand on either side of the doorway.

"Ready?" Naruto asks. Sasuke nods, then leans over. Their lips meet.

Sasuke's kissed him.

Sasuke has kissed him.

Sasuke, the attractive gunslinger, with piles of wealth and a tortured past, has kissed Naruto. Just a scrappy farmboy who set out to find his fortune, in a world that chewed up kids like him and spat them back out, battered and broken.

It felt… good. Soft, gentle, nothing like Sasuke normally. And looking into his eyes afterwards, there's something in there, something that wasn't there before.

Sasuke flicks him on the nose and Naruto comes to his senses. There's a firefight about to happen and he needs to focus. "What was that for?" he hisses.

"For luck," Sasuke says, and smirks.

He counts down on his fingers. Three. Two. On one, he steps into the doorway and draws his foot back.

The door crashes open, making a racket that could wake the dead. Naruto charges into the room right behind Sasuke, and takes in the cottage's contents in a split-second.

There's a table, four chairs, three beds and a fireplace. Orochimaru is lunging for his pistol and Naruto brings his revolver up and shoots. The echo of his and Sasuke's guns fills the room to the point that he can't tell how many times he's pulled the trigger, or even whether he hit anything. But Orochimaru is bleeding out on the floor, fingers twitching as he struggles to draw his own revolver.

Apart from the smell of gunpowder, there's another sickly sweet scent in the room. For the first time Naruto sees the two occupants on the beds. Jirobo and Sakon are lying next to a water pipe, and their eyes are glazed over. Neither is a threat – they're not armed and Naruto very much doubts they've even noticed the disturbance.

"Opium," Sasuke spits out. "This is low, even for you."

Orochimaru is still spilling his life over the floorboards but he manages a weak chuckle. Blood stains his lips. "I suppose this ending is what some might call ironic."

"Shit," Sasuke says as he notices the door at the rear of the room. It's ajar, and for the first time Naruto realises that they've not seen Kabuto yet.

A quick scan of the room reveals there's also no sign of the gold. "Hurry!" Naruto shouts as he storms out the back door, and Sasuke follows him. Before the door closes there's one final shot, and then Sasuke is reloading his gun.

Naruto shoots him a questioning look.

"It was mercy," Sasuke replies. "More than he deserves, but I don't want to be someone who allows needless suffering."

The woods are a tangled mess of low branches, thickets of brambles and fallen trees. Naruto doesn't fancy their chances of catching up to Kabuto. "Could he have ridden away?" he asks, but Sasuke shakes his head.

"I counted the horses. Besides, riding in the dark is a quick route to a broken neck." Sasuke frowns as he peers into the trees.

Naruto squares his shoulders and reloads his revolver. He's fired four shots, he discovers. "Well then, shall we?"

As they walk into the dark woods, looking for any traces of Kabuto's passing, Naruto wonders whether he hit his mark in that last firefight. Either way, Orochimaru is dead, but it still feels important. There's no way to know, though.

Kabuto can't have made it far, what with the weight of the gold he's carrying. A mere fifty feet into the treeline, Sasuke stops Naruto with a hand on his chest. Instantly Naruto is alert, eyes scanning the undergrowth, gun brought to bear. In the silence he hears it too. A rustle of leaves being pushed aside, the crack of a twig breaking underfoot, quiet panting.

"You move that way," Sasuke whispers, lips scarcely moving. Naruto nods and follows his outstretched arm, circling around the source of the noise. Behind him, Sasuke takes a deep breath, then kicks at the leaf litter.

Crouching under a bush, Kabuto freezes. Naruto can still hear his breathing, ever so faint, and it's clear that for all his skill with firearms he's no woodsman. Moonlight glints off the barrel of his rifle. Naruto keeps his revolver hidden in the shadow of his body.

"Come out, Kabuto. It's over." Sasuke's voice isn't loud, but it carries. There's a rustling in the undergrowth as it disturbs something small and furry. Kabuto doesn't reply, but he brings his gun to bear. Naruto holds his breath as he takes another step closer, coming at Kabuto from the side.

His whole body is so tense it could crack. If Sasuke speaks again, Kabuto might get a fix on his position and shoot him. Naruto doesn't trust his own aim from this distance, and Kabuto is still an indistinct shadow, so he doesn't even have a target to aim for. He creeps closer. Every second he waits might be the death of Sasuke. But if he shoots and misses, Kabuto will turn and take him down.

"Be reasonable," Sasuke says from the darkness. The rifle twitches to the side and Kabuto fires. Naruto glances in the direction the shot went, and sees a shadow, falling. Before the sound has finished echoing through the forest, he throws himself forwards, heedless of the branches whipping at his face and arms. His gun is pointed straight ahead and he squeezes off all six bullets, desperate to end Kabuto before he can fire again.

Naruto doesn't know if he hit or not but he charges into Kabuto's kneeling body and they tumble head-over-heels. Kabuto fumbles for an item at his belt but Naruto whips his head forwards and feels something break. They're both screaming, Naruto's anger and dread coursing out through his throat and leaving it raw. He smashes a fist into Kabuto's belly and feels something hot spill onto his hand.

They roll apart and Naruto fumbles another bullet into his gun. Kabuto hauls himself to his feet, clinging to a tree trunk. In his hand is a knife. He takes a faltering step forward but Naruto is crawling back, snapping the cylinder into place.

He aims and pulls the trigger. The gun clicks.

Which chamber holds the bullet he's just loaded? In the confusion and darkness he's not sure. Naruto pulls the trigger again as Kabuto comes closer. Another click.

Did the bullet drop out? Surely, surely he would have noticed. Click goes the gun as he tries to fire, and then it clicks a second time.

Kabuto is almost within arm's reach. The gun clicks once more. The knife goes up.

Naruto fires and two shots ring out in tandem. Kabuto collapses to the ground and Sasuke strides over, tucking his pistol away. He strikes a match and pulls a candle out of his pocket. Soon there's enough light to see Kabuto's body sprawled amongst the dead leaves.

His blood looks black in the candle's faint glow. There's two wounds in his stomach and three in his chest; Naruto has no idea how he was still moving.

"I thought he hit you," Naruto tells Sasuke. His heart is hammering in his ears, and his hands won't stop shaking. "I thought he shot you."

Sasuke smiles and puts an arm around Naruto's shoulders. He lifts the candle higher as he turns Naruto around, revealing Sasuke's coat. It's lying in the dirt, with a bullet hole through the breast pocket. "I hung it from a tree branch. I didn't mean to scare you."

There's a burlap sack in the bushes behind Kabuto. Naruto pulls it open, and in the candlelight it shines like a pale imitation of the sun. He cradles it to his chest as he follows Sasuke back to the cottage and their horses.

"You know what this is?" he asks.

"A ridiculous amount of gold?" Sasuke replies, laughter sparkling in his eyes. "Enough money to start a new life together? A hell of a story?"

Naruto shakes his head, grinning. "This is victory."

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun to write! I got a bit carried away length-wise though. I love Western/Cowboy AUs so I kinda got to 10k words before I realised I might have gone a bit overboard. I wish there was more content for Naruto for this specific AU, but I guess it's like they say - be the change you want to see in the world.


End file.
